Unit 6 Vocabulary: Movement of Energy in the Ecosystem

Aerobic

requiring oxygen

Anaerobic

does not require oxygen

ATP (Adenosine triphosphate)

main energy source that cells use for most of their work

Autotroph

organism that makes its own food

Carbon cycle

process by which carbon moves from inorganic to organic compounds and back

Cellular respiration

chemical process that uses oxygen to convert chemical energy stored in organic molecules into ATP

Chemical energy

potential to perform work due to the arrangement of atoms within molecules

Chlorophyll

pigment that gives a chloroplast its green color

Chloroplast

organelle found in some plant cells and certain unicellular organisms where photosynthesis takes place

Consumer

organism that obtains food by eating

Fermentation

cellular process of making ATP without oxygen

Global warming

rise in Earth's average temperature

Glycolysis

splitting in half of a glucose molecules. The first stage of cellular respiration and fermentation

Greenhouse effect

process by which atmospheric gases trap heat close to Earth's surface and prevent it from escaping into space

Heterotroph

organism that obtains food by eating other organisms

Metabolism

all of a cell's chemical processes

Mitochondria

cellular organelles where cellular respiration occurs

Photosynthesis

process by which plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide to sugars

Producer

organism that makes its own food and produces organic molecules that serve as food for other organisms in the ecosystem